


Shine For You

by EeveeHigashikata



Category: Original Work
Genre: Bullying, Demon/Human Relationships, Demons, F/F, High School, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Priestesses, Secret Identity, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:20:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22432495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EeveeHigashikata/pseuds/EeveeHigashikata
Summary: The secret friendship between Taeko, a social nobody, and Zoya Kisaka, the most popular girl in school, gets turned upside down when the human realm is invaded by demons. As the reincarnated Priestesses of the Sun and Moon, they are told it is their destiny to stop it. Their mission is complicated by Kenji Hisakawa, Taeko's childhood friend and newly awakened half-demon. With the help of a few unlikely allies, the three must try to balance saving the world with school, cliques, and maybe a little bit of falling in love. What's a legendary Priestess to do?





	1. Happy Birthday

Taeko inhaled deeply, savoring the sweet scent of the cherry blossoms drifting through the brisk morning air. The small pink petals stood out against the great blue expanse of the sky. If there were any clouds, Taeko couldn’t see them, though they would have hardly marred the scene around her. It was probably the most beautiful morning she had ever seen.

The morning, however, paled in comparison to the girl who breezed past her. Long silver hair flowed down her back, revealing her delicate, aristocratic features. Her violet eyes were fixed straight ahead, paying no mind as her fellow students stopped to openly admire her. The excited whispers all around told those who would listen that this goddess on earth was one Lady Kisaka.

A group of admirers pushed Taeko out of the way in pursuit of their idol. Stumbling back, Taeko’s foot missed the stair, and she felt the world drop out from beneath her. The endless blue sky filled her vision, destroying her sense of balance entirely. A shadow entered her vision, a steady arm wrapped around her back, and as suddenly as she had fallen, she stopped. Lady Kisaka had caught her in one swift motion. Taeko blushed, her face so close to someone so beautiful. Up close, she couldn’t help but admire those distant, deep violet eyes. She was snapped out of her trance by her savior asking her a question.

“Are you alright, miss?” she asked, her voice deep and smooth. Taeko stuttered out a reply in the affirmative, no longer trying to fight the blush that blossomed on her cheeks. She could hear the whispers and gasps of awe all around her. “Lady Kisaka is so graceful,” they said. “And so generous! Did you see how she caught that girl? Oh, how I wish I could be her.” Taeko did her best to ignore them as Lady Kisaka steadied her and released her. Lady Kisaka graced her with a small smile before turning on her heel.

“Lady Kisaka...” Taeko said in awe herself as she watched her savior disappear into the sea of students.

* * *

“That was some act you put on, Zoya!” Taeko said as she emerged from the small gap under the rose bushes. She was all smiles, beaming up at her friend as she settled herself on the picnic blanket. Lady Kisaka – Zoya – watched her, amused, and prepared the other girl a cup of tea.

“I’m glad it was to your liking, Taeko,” Zoya said. “But honestly, that was risky! You could have been seriously hurt if I hadn’t caught you.”

“It’s not like I planned on being pushed,” Taeko pouted. She had predicted the other girls would ignore her presence, but honestly had no idea they would shove her like they did. “But I knew you would catch me anyway.”

“One more thing!” Zoya continued. “You put on an act, too! What was up with your lovestruck blushy-blushy act this morning? It was totally out of character for you.”

“Look, if the perfect Dramatic Yuri Moment sets itself up for me, you better believe I’m taking it. Even the weather wanted it. Let me have this, Zoya.”

“Please try to be more careful, or at least more discreet, in the future,” she sighed. “If word gets back to my mother that I am associating with someone she deems below my status, and trust me, word will get back, she will make absolutely certain that I never see you again.”

“Harsh,” Taeko hissed. She took an appreciative sip of her tea. She was still trying to figure out this whole “lady-like” thing, even though she knew Zoya did not expect such things of her. “Speaking of yuri, your sister slip you anything good?”

“Not yuri, but I got a BL book,” Zoya said, pulling the volume out of her bag after double checking that no one could see them. Even then, it was covered in a simple blue book cover, so no onlooker would have any idea as to its contents. “The plot is pretty standard, but the art is nice. I am about halfway through.”

She passed the volume to Taeko, who flipped through it curiously.

“Oh, I remember this one!” she said excitedly. “Yeah, it starts pretty slowly, but I think you’ll like it. Here, so you can finish it.”

Taeko set the book down next to Zoya and proceeded to dig into her lunch. Zoya relished this time the two of them shared in secret. Taeko was the only person besides her sister to know this side of her, the side that loved comics and superheroes and romance and all those things her mother considered trashy. Together, the two girls would eat and talk and then read, here where the judging eyes of others could not reach.

Lunch ended all too soon that day, just as it always did. Once again, she became Lady Kisaka, the most admired girl in school. Academics, athletics, she excelled at them all. She got through the afternoon with only having to turn down three love confessions and two marriage proposals, and absently she wondered if perhaps an epidemic was passing through the student body to cause the all-time low. She felt a little bad about rejecting people day in and day out, but she knew her mother would disapprove of them all.

“I’ve returned,” she said as she passed through the all-too-big doors to her home. Her voice echoed through the enormous foyer. The house had been far too quiet since her sister moved out last month, not that it had been full of life before that. Zoya's mother, expression severe, appeared at the top of the stairs.

“Zoya, I have something I must discuss with you at once.”

Zoya avoided her mother’s gaze as she ascended the stairs and dutifully followed after her. Like all the other rooms in the house, the antechamber to her mother’s quarters was far too large and impersonal for a meeting between mother and daughter.

“Your sixteenth birthday is tomorrow,” her mother began. She placed a folder on the table between them. “Contained here are the potential partners we have picked out for you. Most of them are students at your school. Look through them. I hope to hear your thoughts on them by sundown tomorrow, although of course the matter is ultimately out of your hands.”

“Yes, Mother,” Zoya said, carefully taking the folder as it was passed to her.

The folder remained tucked in her bag the next day. She had not gotten up the courage to look at the candidates contained within. Alone in the secret garden, the folder taunted her, reminding her that she needed an answer for her mother by the end of the day. There was no way she could check the files where anyone could see, so this was the perfect opportunity. She reached for the folder, but hesitated. Taeko should be appearing any moment. Was this the sort of secret she wished to share? Their friendship was still quite fresh, and Zoya preferred that it was detached from the rest of her life. She pushed the folder deeper into her bag and waited.

The minutes dragged on, and there was still no sign of her friend. Had something happened? Maybe Taeko had finally decided she was weird and boring and moved on. Or, worse, had her mother in fact found out and done something? It suddenly occurred to Zoya that, being in different classes, she would never know if Taeko was unexpectedly absent. She pushed her anxieties aside and resigned to finish her book. Some birthday this was turning out to be.

She finished her book sooner than expected, so, dejectedly, Zoya made her way back to the main school building. Her eyes wandered over the small groups enjoying their lunches outside, everyone eager to take advantage of the fresh blooms for as long as possible. A familiar laugh floated to her on the breeze, and she paused to look for its source. There, some distance away, was Taeko, sitting with a couple of male students who Zoya could not clearly see. Their eyes met, and Taeko gave her an apologetic look. Her accompanying hand gesture caught her friends’ attention, as she swiftly changed it into a dismissive wave.

“Oh dear, has someone finally caught the eye of the great Lady Kisaka?” asked a cheery voice. Zoya blinked, her attention drawn to the one who had spoken. A girl with bouncy pink curls smiled at her before attempting to follow her gaze. She zeroed in on someone before Zoya could attempt to dissuade her. “Perhaps the school’s most eligible bachelor, Prince Hisakawa?”

“Is he over there?” Zoya asked dismissively as she continued on her way. “I can’t say that I noticed – I was simply admiring the scenery.”

“He certainly does make for some lovey scenery,” the girl teased, following after Zoya.

“Miss Petrides, please do not insinuate such things,” Zoya sighed. “I have no interest in the school’s so-called ‘Prince.’”

“Well, you should! Strong, handsome, well-to-do, what’s not to like? Kenji Hisakawa is a catch. It’s a wonder that he is still single.”

Taeko watched the two girls walk away out of the corner of her eye and suppressed a sigh. She felt bad for abandoning Zoya with nary a word, but the days had flown by so quickly she had completely forgotten that today was her own birthday. If she had remembered, she would have been prepared for Kenji and Shinya insisting on treating her to lunch. She knew that she could not very well tell them she had a prior commitment, so she was stuck. Taeko loved their company, she really did, but not when it came at the expense of abandoning Zoya.

“Hey, since it’s your birthday, what’dya say to a match after school?” Kenji asked her suddenly. With a quick glance behind him, she eyed the girls who were watching them with jealousy. She had not had a good fight in a while, and she was particularly angry at dumb social hierarchies keeping her from being open about her friendships. Two birds with one stone.

“Sure! The usual spot?”

“Where else?”

“I hope you two are expecting a crowd,” Shinya muttered. Though he did not turn, Taeko could tell that he was watching the same girls she was. “The vultures look hungry.”

Taeko thought that ‘vultures’ was an apt term, particularly as she separated from the boys to return to class. The girls swarmed her the moment she turned the corner. It was frustrating that after three years she was finally in a different class than Shinya, but at least it meant that she could bear the brunt of the harassment.

“And just _what_ do you think gives you the right to monopolize Prince Hisakawa’s time like that, commoner brat?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Taeko shot back. “But it’s none of your business who _Kenji_ chooses to hang out with or why, so piss off.”

The girls tried to block her in, but she was faster and able to shove past them. She put enough space between herself and them that there was little they could do now without attracting the attention of the teachers. She really had been trying to clean up her act a little bit since she befriended Zoya, but it was so hard to go from borderline delinquency to upstanding young lady in a matter of weeks. Never mind that her bullies were some kind of karma Houdini's who never got caught.

Taeko tried to focus on her sparring match with Kenji that afternoon. Even if they showed up, she knew the vultures wouldn’t dare to move against her in front of Kenji. Besides, she was pretty sure she could take them if they really tried anything. Even if she usually lost, the fact that she could put up a good fight against one of the strongest students in the school always made her giddy. She let that feeling take over and carry her through the rest of the day.

She felt so much freer once she dropped her uniform dress and pulled on her track suit. The red and white dress was cute, she supposed, but too fitted to allow for good range of motion. It took all of her self-control to not run out of the changing room. Their meeting place was a little out of the way and she wanted to get there as fast as possible. No vulture was going to steal her sparring time from her!

Kenji was already waiting for her, and he waved when he saw her approach. She eagerly waved back and picked up her pace, only to be stopped in her tracks by a huge gust of wind. She covered her face instinctively. The gust of wind was accompanied by a tremendous _crack_ , but whether it something she heard or felt, Taeko could not be sure. 

Cautiously, she opened her eyes. She did not know what she expected to see. A blown over tree perhaps. What she saw instead caused her stomach to drop and her instincts to scream. It was the sky. The sky that, up until then, had been just as clear and blue as the last. The sky now burned a deep red.

* * *

Zoya lingered in her classroom after most of her classmates had dispersed. It had not taken long – between clubs and the rumor that Kenji Hisakawa was going to be fighting someone, her classmates had been eager to leave. She stared at the folder in her hands. This was her last chance to look without her mother looming over her. She took a deep breath and opened the folder.

If she knew anything about her mother, the top candidate would be at the front, which made it all the worse when she saw who was listed there. The world seemed to slow as she stared at the headshot. Was this fate? If it was, she refused to accept it. It had to be a mistake. But even if it was, how long could she actually put off confronting this?

Clearly not long, as at that moment the world seemed to rend and the classroom was consumed by crimson. Though she stumbled, Zoya remained standing and rushed to the windows to see what was happening. There, in the sky, was an elaborate sigil. Though she had never seen it before, its familiarity was burned in to her soul. Memories that were hers but not hers at the same time flashed through her mind and it was enough to fill her with dread. Dread for herself, for humanity, for...

Her thought never finished as she rushed out of the classroom. Students were pressed against the windows, staring at the sky, so they took little notice of her. The fear and panic were palpable, but everyone was too focused on the sky to think about running for cover. Good. The school was maybe the safest place for them right now. The Kisaka Family had seen to that, Zoya knew. She was foolish, however, to think that her classmates would remain frozen in fear forever. The screaming began when someone finally looked down.

“Monsters! There are demons! We’re gonna die!”

Zoya picked up her pace, her hand going to the pouch strapped to her thigh as she burst through the nearest exit. Demons were everywhere, descending on the students as they tried to flee. Zoya flung talismans at any that got in her way as she frantically looked around.

“Taeko!” she called, again and again. Fate or no fate, Zoya was not about to let her be killed by demons. She kept running, frustrated that she lacked a proper weapon. Her talisman supply would only last so long.

“Kenji, what are you doing!? Let me go!” Zoya heard Taeko say, and her head whipped around to where it came from. Taeko was trying to free her arm from Kenji’s grip, but even from a distance Zoya could tell that he had a death grip on her. His other arm hung at his side, twitching and flexing like he didn’t know what to do with it. “Come _on,_ we have to find Shinya!”

Zoya did not understand the why or the how of the situation as she darted in their direction. She simply knew that she recognized that eerie red glow in Hisakawa’s eyes as to be the same as the demons all around her. Though slower and jerkier, his actions were the same as well, even if Taeko stubbornly refused to acknowledge such a thing. Zoya had to give her credit, though, because for someone with a trapped arm she was awfully deft at dodging Hisakawa’s clumsy swipes at her.

“Get away from her, you monster!” Zoya screamed as she threw a talisman at him. Drawing attention to herself was apparently the wrong thing to do, as he swatted the paper away like an annoying bug.

“Zoya, no! He’s my friend!”

“Kill... Kill...!” Kenji growled as he finally thrust his hand out, aiming for Taeko’s heart.

“TAEKO!”

Time seemed to slow for the three of them. Taeko’s eyes went wide, finally registering fear as she tried and failed to pull away. Zoya reached out, stretching her arm as far as it would go to try to reach Taeko before it was too late. She would never make it – Hisakawa was too close and she was too far – but she tried anyway, anything to save her only real friend. 

Just past her outstretched fingertips, in the center of Taeko’s chest, a golden light flickered and then exploded. Hisakawa, caught by the light point-blank, reared back and screamed, clutching his head as though it was going to rip apart. Zoya, unaffected by the light, rushed in and pulled the stunned Taeko away from him. The light was pleasantly warm, like the sun on a clear spring afternoon. She could feel it calling to something deep within her. That something manifested into Zoya’s own light, silver to Taeko’s gold and nowhere near as strong. Together they became beacons that cut through the red skies before fading into a soft glow around the two girls. 

The fading light revealed that their outfits had changed so that the two girls now resembled Miko. Their jackets had accents that matched the colors of their hakama. Taeko’s was the traditional red, but Zoya noticed that her own was violet. Though she had not noticed the change immediately, now that she had it was like she had put on a favorite sweater that had been warming by the fire. She never thought she would feel comfortable in a Miko uniform, yet here she was. Despite their situation, Zoya felt lighter than she ever had in her life, and maybe just a little bit giddy.

“Wha... wha...” Taeko stuttered, trying to make sense of what had just happened. She was disoriented, as the sudden burst of energy had overwhelmed her senses. She was hardly conscious of the fact that Zoya was still holding her. She heard Zoya start to say something, but she was drowned out by a booming voice.

“It is the Priestesses!” It said. Taeko turned her head in the general direction she thought it came from. A hulking demon stood just outside the school grounds, easily the size of twenty of the demons that had been attacking the school. It pointed one of its greenish-grey fingers at them. “Forget the others! Kill them! Bring their heads for Lord Orochi!”

A chorus of otherworldly cheering went up as all attention was now on the two girls. Everywhere Taeko looked she saw bloodthirsty demons, and some of the closer ones charged for them. Zoya held her tighter, her hand reaching down to grab something on her leg. Before Zoya could do anything, though, Kenji intercepted the attack, tearing into the demons with a ferocity Taeko did not know he possessed.

“Stay away from them!” Kenji growled. His words were strained, and despite the ease with which he dispatched his opponents, Taeko could tell that he was in pain. Never mind the fact that his normally sun-kissed skin was now ashen and he was ripping the other demons apart with razor sharp claws. No, she could see that the Kenji she knew and loved was in pain. She didn’t even realize she was staring until Zoya spoke.

“Do you want to help him?”

Zoya was looking right at her, her expression serious but somehow kind. Taeko swallowed.

“Of course I do! He’s my best friend!”

“Then, do you trust me?”

The rational part of Taeko’s brain told her that she shouldn’t trust anyone except herself in this situation. Kenji had tried to kill her. She barely knew Zoya, who obviously knew more than she was telling (not that she had the chance). But something deeper trusted Zoya with a scary certainty. It was the same part of her that told Taeko that she had the power to end all of this and more. She nodded.

“Then repeat after me.” Zoya loosened her hold, then, such that they could hold hands. Zoya’s hands were cool but comfortable in Taeko’s own, like the air on a clear day in autumn. They brought with them a renewed focus on the situation, and she listened carefully to each word Zoya spoke, taking note of any unusual inflections. “O Gods of Sun and Moon...”

“O Gods of Sun and Moon...”

“Hear this, your servants’ prayer...”

“Hear this, your servants’ prayer...”

The glow around them intensified once again and a small wind began to carefully caress them. There was a rushing in Taeko’s ears, then, and she struggled to remain focused on Zoya’s words. Unbeknownst to her, Zoya was experiencing much the same thing, and likely would have lost her train of thought if she had not learned this spell years ago right alongside her nursery rhymes. She was grateful for that, as Kenji would soon be overwhelmed and they would not have time for a second chance.

“Cleanse the ground upon which we stand...”

“Cleanse the – the ground upon which we stand...” Taeko stumbled, losing the inflection as the wind whipped up more strongly around them. Zoya seemed untroubled by the mistake though, and kept going.

“And Return the darkness from whence it came.”

“And Return the darkness from whence it came.”

The glow swelled and Taeko felt it ready to burst forth once again, but she struggled to hold it together, as she could tell Zoya was doing the same. Zoya took a deep breath, and shouted the final line of the chant.

“Evil spirits, begone!”

“Evil spi – whoa!”

The twin lights exploded before Taeko finished her half of the incantation, forming a protective dome around the school grounds. All around her, the various demons teleported away in retreat, while those that remained behind began to burn. In a sudden panic, she looked around for Kenji. He hadn’t moved far during the fight, and he now stood watching the last of his opponents disappear. He took a few staggering breaths before crumpling to the ground.

“Kenji!” Taeko called as she ran to him, dragging Zoya with her. One pair of hands was still locked together, the gold and silver energies passing between them. They knelt next to him, and though his features were thankfully back to normal, he was covered in cuts and bruises. The rise and fall of his chest told Taeko that he was still breathing, at least.

Their attention was caught by a crash against the outside of the dome. Taeko felt the feedback shake her body, and winced as she gripped Zoya’s hand harder. The giant demon from before pulled back, smoking from where its skin had made contact with the dome.

“Consider this a warning, humans,” the demon said. “The seal has broken. Soon all in this pathetic realm shall bow before Lord Orochi, King of the Demons!” He turned his attention directly on Taeko and Zoya. “Savor this victory, Priestesses. You shall not be so lucky next time.”

With that, he vanished, and the sigil in the sky with him. The dome flickered before disappearing entirely, and Taeko wanted nothing more than to collapse right then and there. The glow dissipated along with their Miko uniforms, and the girls were returned to their original outfits. Her vision swam as her hand separated from Zoya’s. She snapped to attention only at the sound of her friend’s voice.

“We need to go,” Zoya said, glancing around as a few faculty members were cautiously leaving the building. Her family’s clean-up crew was already descending upon the school, and it should provide them with just enough cover to slip out unnoticed. Not trusting Taeko to do so herself, Zoya gingerly picked Hisakawa up. He was far heavier than she expected, and she only hoped that she would manage to carry him back to her house. 

She tried to keep a brave face for Taeko and offer reassurances that Hisakawa would be alright, but it was hard. From the moment she touched him, she could feel the demonic energy still pulsing through him. She hoped that her mother would not try to exorcise him the moment they crossed the threshold of the Kisaka Estate. Demon or no demon, he was Taeko’s best friend – Zoya pretended that fact didn’t sting – and he ultimately protected them.

Zoya’s mother met them outside the front gate, and Zoya braced for an argument. Her mother’s eyes darted to Kenji for only a moment before she addressed the girls, the ghost of a smirk on her face.

“Happy Birthday, Priestesses. It seems we have a lot to talk about.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this story is loosely inspired by the anime Kannazuki no Miko, which I frankly did not like. So while this story borrows certain elements (mainly reincarnated priestesses and Orochi) the overall plot and characters are, I hope, quite different. Different enough for this to no longer be considered fanfiction, at the very least.
> 
> Thank you to my beta, who encouraged me to put this story to paper! You're the best :)


	2. Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeko and Zoya receive some exposition and an unexpected visitor.

Once inside the gate to the estate, Zoya’s mother gave them a proper once over and realized just how exhausted the teens all were. She called over a few staff who were waiting by the door, and spoke to them quietly for a moment. One disappeared back into the main house, while two others, a man and a woman, approached the trio.

“We’ll be taking the boy to the shrine,” she said to the girls. Zoya stepped back warily, while Taeko either bravely or stupidly stepped forward to place herself between the adults and Kenji.

“For what reason?” Zoya asked, suspicious of her mother.

“To treat his wounds,” the woman said, offended by her daughter’s tone. “Behind a series of powerful wards, of course.”

“You better not try to exorcise him or something,” Zoya shot back, refusing to relax.

“I could see the holy light from the two of you from here,” Zoya’s mother explained. “No simple demonic possession could withstand that. Whatever that boy is, an exorcism would be pointless. We will question him once he regains consciousness. In the meantime, your sister will guard him once his treatment is complete.”

“Ethne is here?” Zoya asked, and Taeko noticed the little bit of hope those words carried.

“She is on her way, but you will not be seeing her today, if at all. Now then.”

Reluctantly, the girls handed Kenji over and followed Zoya’s mother into the house. It was the biggest house Taeko had ever been in, but she was too exhausted to even try to take in its grandeur. Questions were swirling around in her mind, but the thing she most wanted to know was when she could finally collapse on a bed and sleep for a good day or two. They were guided to what must have been the dining room, although it was the size of a small banquet hall.

“I can see the two of you are tired, so we will save explanations for tomorrow. Hopefully that boy – Kenji Hisakawa, was it? -- will be awake then as well. For now, let’s get the two of you some food and then you can retire to your rooms for the night.”

“Wait, ‘your rooms’? What does that mean?” Taeko asked as she sat down.

“Oh yes, you live in the dorms, correct?” Taeko nodded slowly, uncomfortable with how much this woman knew about her. The woman nodded in acknowledgement, then continued. “I shall send for your things in the morning, then. You can borrow some of Zoya’s pajamas tonight. Starting today, you shall be living here, both for your protection and your training.”

“Mother! You can’t just uproot someone like that without even pretending to ask first!”

“Protecting humanity’s only hope against a demon invasion is a higher priority than decorum, Zoya. Our estate is the most spiritually fortified area in the region, and the safest place for the Priestesses of the Sun,” she indicated Taeko, “and Moon,” she finished, gesturing to Zoya.

“Whatever. I’m too tired to deal with this right now,” Zoya said as she finally took a seat. The food was soon brought out. It consisted of some kind of vegetable soup and bread, and while Zoya’s mother apologized that it was nothing fancy, Taeko could not help but feel that the dishware alone placed it as one of the nicest meals she had ever eaten.

“Is this really alright?” Taeko asked, glancing around at the opulence she was now surrounded by. “I couldn’t possibly afford...”

“No need to worry about that,” Zoya’s mother said, more softly this time. “Money is a non-issue. So long as you wish to protect the Earth, I am happy to open my home to you.”

Taeko was not really sure she was committed to such a huge responsibility, but nodded anyway. She was still confused about the situation, but most likely it involved doing more of what she did today, and even as exhausted as she was, she would still do it a thousand times again if it meant protecting Kenji.

When it became clear that the two girls were done talking, Zoya’s mother excused herself and left one of the maids to tend to them as needed. Taeko was so focused on her meal that she barely noticed she was there. She trailed behind them as Zoya led them upstairs to the bedrooms, and only spoke when Zoya asked which room Taeko would be staying in.

“She’ll be in the spare room down the hall. If I could retrieve some pajamas, I will take her there and make sure that she gets settled in.”

Zoya nodded tiredly as she disappeared into what must have been her own bedroom, emerging a moment later with a bundle of pale blue cloth. She lingered in the hall as Taeko was shown to her room. The maid dutifully touched up the bed and fluffed the pillows as she explained the basics of the house: washroom across the hall, kitchen downstairs next to the dining room, do not enter Mistress’ quarters unless expressly invited. She assured Taeko that she would receive a full tour in time.

One touch of Zoya’s pajamas and Taeko resolved that she had to wash up at least a little bit before wearing them, no matter how weary her body was. Upon realizing that she had no idea where anything was kept in the bathroom, she decided that wiping her face with a wet cloth would have to be enough. She slipped back into her new bedroom, and was just pulling on the shirt when she was startled by a knock at her door.

“Just a minute!” she called as she finished changing. She opened the door a crack to find Zoya standing on the other side.

“I know you’re tired, but I just wanted to apologize for all of... this,” Zoya mumbled, gesturing vaguely at the house. She avoided Taeko’s eyes, her gaze lingering instead on the way Taeko’s frame pulled at the buttons of her pajama shirt. “It may seem like a lot, but I hope you can bear with it for a little while.”

“I’ll manage,” Taeko reassured her. Zoya relaxed slightly.

“Well then, I bid you good night. I hope you sleep well.”

* * *

Sunlight invaded her dreams as the curtains in Taeko’s room were pulled back. She grunted in protest, her body aching and her head pounding, and it was all making her bed seem one hundred times more comfortable than usual. She turned to try to shut out the light, only to realize that her bed was too big. Her eyes shot open, and she was greeted with the unfamiliar sight of her new bedroom at the Kisaka Estate.

“Wake up, sleepy head,” Zoya said, standing over the bed. “I’d like to say that you’re going to be late for school, but that was canceled after yesterday’s attack.”

None of it had been a dream after all. Taeko groggily sat up, her body protesting as she did so. She stretched her arms as if to touch the ceiling, but deflated when it failed to alleviate her aches.

“It sounds like Hisakawa is awake,” Zoya said once she was fairly certain that Taeko was awake enough to process what she said. “Mother wants us to meet her in the shrine as soon as we’ve washed and eaten. We should be swift, or else I fear what she will do to interrogate him.”

Taeko did not need telling twice. She hopped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom before pausing to sheepishly ask Zoya where things were. Zoya helpfully pointed things out as she, too, got ready, before leaving Taeko alone to take a quick shower. 

The warm water was heavenly, easing her muscles as she scrubbed off the dirt and sweat from the day before. A spot on her chest just below her collarbone was proving particularly stubborn before she realized that it wasn’t dirt. A brownish-red, it resembled a scar or a burn but felt like neither. She wiped the steam from the mirror once she had finished in order to get a better look at it. It was circular, with jagged spikes sticking out of it all around like a pin cushion. Zoya’s mother had called her the Priestess of the Sun the night before. If this was meant to represent the sun, Taeko thought, then the mystic powers that be needed to hire a new designer.

Taeko’s tracksuit was waiting for her when she returned to her bedroom, cleaned and folded on top of the dresser. She felt silly as she put it on, knowing that she would be visiting a shrine in short order. She shook her discomfort away, remembering that Kenji was waiting for her, and descended the stairs to the dining room. Zoya was already seated at the table, eating a bowl of fruit. As soon as Taeko sat down, she was presented with a full breakfast spread: grilled fish, rice, miso soup, and a salad, and in surprisingly large proportions. Her stomach growled in appreciation, and she tried her hardest eat at a proper pace.

“Politeness can come later,” Zoya said as she watched. “You must be starving after yesterday’s fight, even with last night’s dinner. Shovel away.”

Taeko picked up her pace considerably, impatient as she was to finally get some answers, but stopped just short of full speed to avoid choking (and to better appreciate the hard work of the cooks). Zoya was staring at her, but when Taeko glanced up questioningly she looked away, pensive. It was the same detached expression she wore all day at school. Taeko had noticed that Zoya had been more formal with her than usual since last night, but now that she realized that they were alone she wondered if she had done something wrong.

“Thanks for the food,” she finally said, pushing the thought from her mind. “So where’s this shrine?”

“It’s around the side. Follow me.”

Zoya led them out a side door. Clouds had rolled in, and Taeko could feel in the air that it was threatening to rain. They hurried to the shrine. For being on a private estate, Taeko thought it rather large. A girl appeared to be asleep on its roof, but she sat up and gave a short wave as she heard them approach. Zoya’s eyes softened at the sight, and she looked like she was about to say something when the girl laid back down and closed her eyes. Zoya frowned.

“I suppose this is the moment of truth,” she whispered to Taeko. Taeko wanted to ask what was up with the weird girl on the roof, but Zoya did not offer the chance as she announced their arrival out loud. Zoya’s mother opened the door from within and stood aside to let them in. Kenji sat atop a futon behind a barrier of rope, wards, and candles. Looking closely, Taeko noticed that his nails were still rather sharp, and his eyes did not quite seem human. He looked up as they stepped in, but upon seeing Taeko, he quickly looked away in shame and anger. She winced.

Taeko would never admit it out loud, but she had very few friends. Most people tended to think that she was either too weird or too poor to bother with. Even though she knew that yesterday’s events had been less than positive, it still hurt to have two of her friends push her away, however lightly. Collecting herself, she got comfortable on one of the pillows that had been set out. She ended up sitting between Kenji and Zoya, determined not to appear weak. Zoya’s mother closed the door and sat down opposite the teens.

“Yesterday, you witnessed the first break in the seal that has contained the demon lord Orochi for the last couple centuries. The gate to the demon world has been wrenched open, and as Orochi regains his power his orders are absolute.”

“Is that the guy in my head who won’t shut up about killing humans or whatever?” Kenji interrupted. When Taeko looked over at him, she saw that he was rubbing his temples. “I can barely hear it right now but it’s been _really annoying_.”

“From what Ethne told me, I would say yes,” Zoya’s mother said. She watched Kenji like a hawk for a moment before apparently deciding he was not currently a threat and continuing. “Orochi intends to conquer the human world. He has made numerous attempts over the millennia, only to be stopped and sealed by the Priestess of the Sun and the Priestess of the Moon. The two of you are their reincarnations, and as such are capable of calling upon the powers of the gods in addition to your own immense spiritual powers.

“According to the legends, the Priestesses must work together in order to defeat and re-seal Orochi. The power of one will not be enough. Although you are capable of fighting alone, your greatest techniques will require the two of you to be in perfect sync. In fact, the Priestesses are usually l--”

“Mother!” Zoya interrupted, looking flustered. “We don’t need to worry about that, yet.”

Zoya’s mother smirked.

“Ah yes, my apologies. Zoya has already heard much of this before, as we have known that she was the Priestess of the Moon since she was a child. She has been trained accordingly.”

“What about me?” Taeko asked. “You seemed to know a lot about me already. Why wasn’t I trained?”

“We did not know definitively until yesterday. My apologies, we thought we had more time before the seal would break. My family has assisted the Priestesses and guarded their knowledge for generations. We did, of course, seek out the most likely candidates with the intent that Zoya would be able to pick out her partner from among them. But now our hands have been forced, and so your training will begin right away, and with greater intensity than originally planned.”

“Now that the gate is open,” Zoya asked, “what happens now? We can’t possibly fight Orochi like we are now. We would surely lose.”

“Lizaveta!” someone called from outside. Zoya’s mother jumped at her name before annoyance rippled through her. “I’m here to pick up my kid! I know you have him!”

Lizaveta stormed out of the shrine, leaving the girls to scramble after her. Taeko shot an apologetic look at Kenji as she followed. He waved them off, looking sullen.

Outside the front door of the main house stood a devilishly beautiful woman surrounded by multiple servants and the girl from the shrine roof. Taeko saw rosaries, talismans, and a variety of staves and spears. The woman tossed her long crimson hair behind her as she turned to face Lizaveta with a grin. Lizaveta stopped outside the circle and threw out an arm to signal the Priestesses to stop as well.

“There you are! I was worried I was going to have to force my way through your little welcoming committee,” the woman laughed.

“How did you get in here?” Lizaveta demanded to know. “The whole estate is protected by a barrier. You cannot have simply waltzed up to the front door.”

“That silly thing? It’s not strong enough to keep me out, Lizzy,” the woman said. “Besides, I’m here to help.”

“And why should I trust a demon? Orochi’s orders are absolute, are they not?”

The woman frowned, her expression one of disgust even as her words remained light.

“I learned to tune out that old bastard centuries ago. I suspect my son was not so lucky, or you wouldn’t be keeping him here. Now, where is he?” Lizaveta did not answer, and the woman lost her friendly tone. “Look, Orochi is nothing but a sore loser who wants to destroy humanity. I vehemently disagree. It’s why I was banished. Now then, Kenji’s _human_ father is worried sick, and I’d like to get him home as soon as possible.”

“Fine. But so long as you’re here, Celosia, you’re helping with explanations. Ethne,” she called to the girl from earlier, “you’re taking up the rear. Make sure she doesn’t try anything.”

Lizaveta kept the girls in front of her as she led the way back to the shrine. Celosia hummed a happy tune as she followed. The door to the shrine had been left open, giving the girls front row seats to Kenji just about jumping out of his skin at the sight of his mother.

“Mom!?” he asked, startled. He was ashamed to admit that although he vaguely remembered her in his life when he was quite young, he only knew her face from the photo his father kept framed in the living room. His father had always spoken of her fondly, but had said that she was busy working overseas. The only proof he had that she wasn’t dead were the occasional letters she would send. “What are you doing here?”

“Hey kid,” she said in greeting. She stepped in the shrine, staying notably close to the doors. “My god, you’ve gotten big. I always forget how fast humans grow.”

“Celosia, you really aren’t helping,” Lizaveta muttered. “I suppose introductions are in order, although I sincerely wish they weren’t. Children, this is Celosia, a demon who I have had the misfortune of running into through my work as an exorcist. I suppose I should have guessed that Kenji would be your child.”

“I _was_ banished from the demon realm for being a human sympathizer. Which does, of course, mean that my son is half-demon, half-human. I’m sure a good exorcist like you considers him some sort of unholy abomination.”

“Unholy, yes. Abomination, no.”

“I’m right here,” Kenji reminded the room. The women had the good grace to look embarrassed before Lizaveta continued.

“Getting back to where we were before we were rudely interrupted,” she said with a pointed look at Celosia, “Orochi’s seal is not yet fully broken. He will be sending his subordinates to attack the human world relentlessly, trying to gain power and to eliminate the threat that the two of you pose. Now, I am sure you are familiar with how the mythical Orochi had eight heads?”

Taeko and Zoya nodded.

“Orochi is, in this case, more of a title. The lord of the demons is called Orochi, and you will need to defeat him and his seven subordinates.”

“Six,” Celosia corrected. Lizaveta looked ready to smack her. “No need to fight me. I’m not gonna stop you.”

“Mother!” Zoya scolded, sounding scandalized. Ethne, who had been silently watching from the doorway, looked equally offended. “You worked with an Orochi Head!?”

“’Worked with’ is a strong way to put it. I am not strong enough to take on one of the most powerful demons in existence by myself, and she did not pose enough of an active threat to pursue.”

“Lizzy, you wound me,” Celosia joked. “Why, I introduced you to your husband!”

“Shut up, you old cow,” Lizaveta said. “We’re getting off topic.

“There are _six_ Orochi Heads that you will need to defeat before you will stand a chance against Orochi himself, not to mention all the other demons that will be coming through the gate.”

“Orochi Heads got their positions through battle,” Celosia explained, suddenly serious. “In general, we only lose our positions if we are defeated or killed, in which case the victor is awarded our seat. This applies to Orochi himself, and it’s the only reason he hasn’t tried to replace me. He breaks the rules by replacing me anyway, and he invalidates his own claim to power. He did you all a favor by banishing me, since no one strong enough to take me on can get through the gate.”

“Until yesterday,” Zoya gravely added.

“Eh, I’m Head #2, second only to Orochi himself, so it’ll be a while before the gate’s open enough for someone of my caliber to get through.”

“Does Dad know?” Kenji asked nervously. Celosia blinked at him.

“Of course he knows! I mean, the poor man has never really been able to wrap his head around demon realm politics, but he knows enough to understand why I’m never around. You two would never know a moment’s peace what with all the lowlifes who think they’re a match for me.”

“In the meantime,” Lizaveta said, raising her voice and returning her focus to the Taeko and Zoya, “the two of you will be undergoing training here while also practicing against the demons that are coming through. This whole town is pretty much on top of the gate, you won’t have to go far to locate your opponents.”

Lizaveta took a deep breath. She glanced at Celosia, who raised an eyebrow quizzically, before turning to face Kenji.

“I heard about what happened yesterday. That despite Orochi’s influence and your lack of spiritual training, you protected my daughter and Taeko from the other demons.” This was news to Celosia, whose eyes went wide as she stared at her son in a new light. “I would... like to ask you to help them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Celosia is 100% unique to this setting and she is really, really fun to write.


	3. Charade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back at school, Taeko and Zoya try to figure out their new normal.

Taeko could feel everyone’s eyes on her as she walked to school with Zoya. They had fallen into an awkward silence when other students began to gather, so she could hear the mutterings, the other students questioning who she was. She kept her head high and pretended she couldn’t.

One girl was braver than the rest.

“Good morning, Lady Kisaka!” she greeted. Taeko felt the absurd urge to pull on her bouncy pink curls. “I am glad to see you well after last week’s incident. And who might this be?”

“Good morning Miss Petrides,” Zoya replied. Surprisingly, her pleasantness appeared genuine. “This is Taeko Takara. She has taken an apprenticeship with my family’s company and will be staying at our Estate for its duration.”

Taeko was glad that their cover story was just a simplified version of the truth. Sure, no one knew that the family business was actually demon-slaying, or that Taeko was far more than a simple apprentice, but that was fine. Everyone could assume she was training to become a maid for all she cared. What was less simple was dancing around “last week’s incident.” Lizaveta informed them that the official story was a natural gas leak in the forest nearby – through careful hypnosis and leading questions, the demons had been explained away as hallucinations or wild animals escaping the gas.

“Takara...?” Miss Petrides wondered aloud. She looked Taeko up and down, as though looking for something out of place. Taeko avoided looking at her eyes, but found it hard to do without looking like she was ignoring her completely. “I do not believe I’m familiar... wait, if I’m not mistaken, aren’t you that delin--”

“Kenji!” Taeko interrupted, grateful that she had caught the boy in the crowd. He noticed them and gave a small wave. “I will see you at... after school, Lady Kisaka,” she said with a slight bow before she ran off after her other friend.

“As I was saying, are you sure about this new apprentice? She is an unknown commoner, is she not?”

“I assure you, my mother personally vetted all of the candidates,” Zoya said, her pleasant demeanor slipping a bit. “And she is quite particular.”

Zoya watched Taeko chat with Hisakawa as Miss Petrides struck up small talk. He looked far better today, although there was a tightness throughout his body that spoke to the lingering influence of Orochi. When he had stepped off of their property the other day, he had seized up again. Zoya wasn’t sure whether it was Taeko calling his name or his mother pulling on the back of his neck like a mother cat would her kitten, but he managed to return to his senses somewhat. That he could walk around normally meant that his mother’s training must have been just as brutal as their own.

“Are you _sure_ you have no interest in Prince Hisakawa?” Miss Petrides asked teasingly when she noticed she was being ignored. “You’re staring again.”

The comment flustered Zoya, and gave her second thoughts about checking in on him herself. She wanted to check the rosary her mother had given him to keep his demonic form in check, but would have to hope that even if something was wrong with it that Taeko’s aura would be enough. Certainly, after less than a minute his body was already relaxing. Zoya frowned, but forced herself to look away when another boy joined the two. The three of them had a charade to keep up. She had been doing this her whole life. She was not about to screw it up now.

“You couldn’t have called?” Shinya asked by way of greeting. “I was worried sick when I couldn’t find you two last week.”

“Well you know, this and that, a lot of stuff happened and it kind of slipped our minds,” Kenji said lightly. “And my phone got forgotten at school anyway.”

“Oh, that’s right, our match was interrupted,” Taeko remembered. All of her belongings, school bag included, had been delivered to her room while she was training, so she’d forgotten about it. “But at least I answered once I got my phone back!”

“At least you two were together,” Shinya sighed. “I got locked in my classroom for what felt like hours while they tried to figure out what was going on. I’m glad you’re both alright.”

“Yeah, just a little disoriented from the gas, nothing serious,” Kenji said, avoiding his friend’s eyes. Lying had never been one of his strong suits, and the earlier tension was rapidly returning. Shinya must have noticed, too, because he gave Taeko a questioning look that she refused to answer. Instead, she shot out her hand like she was about to strike, causing Kenji to instinctively block. Instead, she grabbed his wrist, feeling the rosary under her palm. She focused on it, trying to remember how to channel her energy. Kenji winced but smiled and shook her off.

“You two done?” Shinya asked, glancing between them and the clock tower. “Class is going to start soon.”

“Coming, coming!” Kenji laughed, and the sound was enough to get Shinya’s brow to unfurrow. He ruffled Shinya’s hair. “And I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”

Taeko watched them carefully as she followed them into the school building, but everything seemed back to normal. She sighed with relief before steeling herself to break off for her own classroom. Yes, indeed, everything was back to normal, vultures included. She kept her head high and her eyes in front, smirking inwardly as she heard concerned whispers about the time. There were benefits to waiting until the last minute to go to class.

She wondered what she was even doing here. About a third of the students were missing, either because their parents wanted to keep them home a little longer or because they had been withdrawn from the school entirely. Demon attack, gas leak, it didn’t matter – people had been hurt and repeat incidents were likely. The teacher barely acknowledged it, launching into a dull lecture on basic economic theory immediately after taking roll.

Taeko tuned him out. She wished she was back at the estate training rather than sitting here feeling useless. If a demon attacked, she wasn’t even sure that she and Zoya could transform again.

“Isn’t there a handy little phrase we can use?” Taeko remembered asking after the third failed attempt. “Or a trinket?”

“Unfortunately, you transform your weapons, not the other way around,” Lizaveta had answered. “There may be an incantation, but if so then it was lost. What I know for sure is that your powers respond to one another, so either you both transform or neither of you do.”

“And if a demon attacks before we’ve figured it out?” Zoya asked.

Lizaveta said that they would have to fight the old-fashioned way and hope they don’t die. It was less than encouraging. They got close a few times, and it helped once Taeko had a better sense of how to channel her energy, but still all they managed was a spark. Maybe at lunch, away from Lizaveta’s watch, she would suggest coming up with a transformation phrase.

“...kara. Takara!” The teacher called, jolting Taeko back into the present. “Care to answer the question?”

Taeko’s mind drew a blank, and she glanced at her notebook in the hopes that she had, by chance, written something related to the lecture. Instead she was greeted by a long list of rejected transformation phrases.

“I’m sorry, what was the question?”

She tried to appear appropriately embarrassed without outright wincing as her classmates snickered.

“Perhaps you should start paying attention instead of daydreaming,” the teacher scolded. He proceeded to answer the question himself, continuing his lecture as though he had never asked a question in the first place. She took one more look at her list of phrases before she sighed and tried to focus on the lecture.

* * *

Zoya slowly made her way to the secret garden she shared with Taeko. Her eyes scanned the area constantly, both to ensure that she was not followed and to check for any potential demonic activity. Honestly, she wasn’t sure which would be worse.

The garden was her sanctuary. Her sister had told her about it before she started high school, and she had used its space to indulge in the hobbies she never could at home. Her sister smuggled her comics for the most part, but one day, after managing to slip into town, she had finally obtained the transformation belt toy she had been coveting for years. Alone in the garden after school, she fastened it securely around her waist, practiced the motions a couple of times, and then tried to contain her giddy joy.

It was a little difficult, given that she was a single person, but she popped one toy stick into the belt, then the other, both of them giving off their little announcements as she did so. She posed with all of the gusto she had built up over the years, pausing only to imagine becoming encased in superhero armor. Sticking her hand out perhaps more sharply than the character she was imitating, she smirked.

“Now, count up your sins!”

She heard a bark, drawing her attention down to a puppy yapping at her ankles, and to the girl sticking out of the rose bush staring up at her. Zoya felt the heat shoot up her face as the girl, who was wearing an Amanogawa uniform, blinked up at her. Someone had seen. Her secret was out. Her mother would never let her hear the end of it. Prim, proper, perfect Zoya Kisaka had been caught pretending to be a superhero. Mortification would not even begin to cover how she felt.

“I love Kamen Rider! _W_ was a good one, can I see?” the girl exclaimed. The dog barked again, reminding both girls of its existence. The girl, still halfway in the bush, scrambled forward and tried to scoop it up, but it jumped just out of reach. She landed on her face.

“Um, can I help you?” Zoya found herself asking, her secret apparently safe for a moment. “What are you even doing here?”

“Oh, I saw this puppy running around,” she indicated as she lunged again, succeeding in grabbing the excitable puppy, “but there was no one around so I was going to catch it and try to return it.”

Now captured, the girl checked the dog’s collar, her face falling as she flipped the tag back and forth.

“What’s wrong?” Zoya asked.

“There’s no address, just a name,” the girl said sadly. “Now what?”

Zoya was not really in the pet rescue business, but as she wracked her brain for relevant information, she remembered that there was a veterinary clinic near her house, and suggested they try to bring it there. Zoya led them out the back of the garden and away from campus.

“So, what other shows do you like, Miss...? Oh shoot, we never introduced ourselves! I’m Taeko Takara. You?”

“Zoya,” she said, leaving off her last name. Most people knew it anyway, and it wasn’t like there were other Zoya’s at the school. If Taeko had not recognized her before, she surely would now.

“Zoya, huh? That’s a pretty name,” she said with a smile. There was no indication she recognized the name, and Zoya wasn’t sure what to make of that. Was this girl just an idiot? “So, about those shows?”

“Oh, uh, I don’t actually watch a lot of television anymore,” Zoya admitted. “I read plenty of comics, though. Lately I have found myself reading quite a bit of romance.”

“Romance, huh?” Taeko mused. “I prefer fighting shows myself, but I don’t _dislike_ romance.”

They talked for what felt like hours as they walked to the clinic, even though Zoya knew it could not have been more than twenty minutes. The puppy was happily received by the vet, who let them know that the owner had stopped by earlier that day, frantic that the puppy had gotten out. Puppy taken care of, Zoya waved goodbye to Taeko, thinking that would be the last of it.

Taeko was back the next day, interrupting Zoya in the middle of her magical girl speech. This time, Taeko finished the line for her, and they ended up chatting all through lunch. Their little getaways continued like that throughout the week, until one day Taeko came in, far more delicately and quietly than she had before. Zoya immediately sensed something was wrong, and confronted her friend about it.

“You’re Lady Kisaka, right?” Taeko said, not quite able to look Zoya in the eye. Zoya felt her stomach drop. “I’m, uh, I am sorry if I’ve been rude at any point. If you don’t actually want me here, I’d understand. I’m not...”

“I absolutely want you here!” Zoya protested without a second thought. “I enjoy spending time with you and talking about comics and superheroes and who knows what else. Don’t... you aren’t a bother.”

“Are you sure? Your reputation is really important, and mine isn’t exactly stellar.”

“I don’t care!” It was the first time Zoya had ever made a declaration like that, and it felt good to say. Her reputation was all she ever thought about at school, and getting to know Taeko without all that in the way had been the best thing she’d ever experienced. “You’re my friend. That is the truth. So let’s just... keep meeting here, in secret, away from the rest of the world, okay?”

Yes, the garden was her, now their, sanctuary, and Zoya smiled at the memory. No, she couldn’t have anyone disturbing their hiding place. It was too special. Even if, once again, Taeko was late.

Taeko clambered through the bushes after what felt like far too long, looking out of breath.

“Sorry I’m late!” she wheezed, trying to get herself presentable again as she took up her customary spot next to Zoya. “I wanted to check up on Kenji before I headed over but the vultures noticed so I had to outrun them so no one would find this place and I must have done three laps before I lost them but I’m here now!”

“Wait, what? None of that made sense. What vultures?”

“Kenji’s fangirls,” Taeko said. “But it’s fine. And he’s fine, at least for now. Is my aura really that powerful?”

“You’re the Priestess of the Sun, of course it is,” Zoya said, trying to suppress a slight giggle. “You’re one of the most inherently holy people in this realm.”

“Gross. Wait, does that mean I have to only eat certain things or whatever? I wasn’t paying much attention to our meals.”

“Not in general. We should be cautious right before big ceremonies and things, but that’s about it. From what I understand, the Priestesses have been around for so long that there’s only so much any given incarnation could do to weaken their powers. Demonic energy is the only...”

“Great, then nothing is stopping me from stealing one of your egg rolls!” Taeko cheered, snatching a piece of Zoya’s lunch out of her bag.

“Hey, no fair, you have the same lunch I do!”

“You didn’t run around the school three times!”

“Well, that’s true, I suppose,” Zoya said as she relented. “Eat up, we don’t have as much time today thanks to that.”

Taeko scarfed down the rest of her lunch, Zoya having to remind her to chew a few times. She should not be surprised, especially not after she felt Taeko use a bit of her energy on Hisakawa this morning. She was glad they had this time to themselves to relax.

Taking their chances, they decided to walk back to the main building together. Passing one of the equipment sheds, they saw Kenji leaning against its back wall, his expression pained. His attention snapped to them in an instant, and Zoya was grateful that the area was deserted. Even at this distance, anyone could tell his eyes weren’t human.

“We have a problem,” he said. He relaxed slightly as Taeko quickly approached him, but it only served to put Zoya on edge. She liked Hisakawa well enough, but she did not yet trust him entirely. How could she, when he was still so inexperienced?

“Where’s Shinya?” Taeko asked, glancing around.

“Told him I was going to the bathroom,” Kenji said. “Pretty sure he didn’t see anything.”

“More importantly, do you know where the demon is?” Zoya asked, her eyes on the clock tower. They had maybe ten minutes left in their lunch break. No matter, demons were more important than being punctual to class.

Kenji pushed himself off the wall and started walking back in the direction they had come from.

“This way, I think. They were looking for you, after all.”

Taeko cursed under her breath as she followed after him. If some stupid demon was going to be tearing up the school, it better not be because of her and it especially better not damage Zoya’s garden. She felt a pop, like a pebble dropped in a pond, and only understood what it was when she saw a demon ripple into existence a short distance away. It was larger than Kenji, but nowhere near the size of the one that hammered away at the dome. It turned to face them, breaking out into a fierce grin when it spotted them.

“The Priestesses come to me! Easy victory!”

“Fat chance,” Kenji growled as he lunged. Taeko was a touch jealous that Kenji got to make the first hits, and also a touch guilty. If she were stronger, he would not have to protect them while she and Zoya were sitting ducks, still stumbling through the basics.

“Moment of truth,” Zoya said, grasping Taeko’s hand in her own. “Either we transform or we don’t.”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you!” Taeko exclaimed before whispering excitedly in Zoya’s ear. Zoya was blushing when Taeko pulled away.

“Say _that_? But it’s so embarrassing!”

“Kenji’s the only one who’ll know and he knows I like that stuff anyway.”

“Whatever it is,” Kenji grunted as he held back the demon’s massive fist, “hurry it up!”

“Fine,” Zoya said, fighting the blush back down. Taeko gave an encouraging squeeze, and felt a thrill when she noticed that despite the pink still dusting her cheeks, Zoya was smiling. They nodded at each other, their cue to start.

“Solar...”

“Lunar...”

“Spiritual Power, Dress Up!”

Taeko felt her power swell in her chest and burst outward, just as it had three days prior. She channeled it to Zoya across their joined hands, and felt it mix with Zoya’s smaller, more controlled power. The light engulfed them for only a moment, but it was enough. Their Miko outfits were back, and Taeko did not think she would ever get used to how insanely comfortable they were. Unable to help herself, she pointed an accusatory finger at the demon.

“Now, count up your sins!”

“That one’s taken,” Zoya said, deadpan. “We’ll think of something later. We’ve got a proper fight on our hands.”

As if to prove her point, Kenji was knocked into a nearby tree with a grunt. He looked fine as he regained his footing, but you’d have thought he was out cold from the way Taeko rushed into the fight in anger. She pulled back her fist, alight with holy energy, and smashed it into the demon’s chest. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air as the demon roared in pain and struck back against Taeko. She tried to pull away, but was clipped by the demon’s fist and sent stumbling. Zoya grabbed her and pulled her out of harm’s way.

“Idiot, don’t just rush in like that!” Zoya scolded. “You didn’t even attempt an incantation!”

“But it had an effect!” Taeko argued, her spirits still high. “This’ll be easy! You okay, Kenji?”

“Good enough,” he grunted as he rejoined the fight. He only got in a few hits before the demon picked him up by the arm and chucked him right into the rose garden.

Zoya saw red, and it wasn’t just from the rose petals thrown into the air. How _dare_ this cocky, over-confident demon defile her sanctuary, and with _Hisakawa_ of all people? She reached for her talismans, only to bite back a curse when her hakama got in the way. What kind of magical transformation prevented her from using her demon slaying tools?

“Leave the roses alone!” Taeko shouted as she went to work pummeling the demon. Zoya furiously dug around through the slits in her hakama, eventually fishing out a single talisman. Even if it was unintentional, she was grateful that Taeko had bought her some time. “Evil spirit, go to hell!”

“It’s ‘begone,’ and get back!”

Zoya recited a small chant on her talisman before throwing it at the demon, effectively paralyzing it and giving Taeko the chance to escape. She spared Kenji a single glance to confirm that he was getting back to his feet, and noted that the thorns had not been kind to him. With any luck, his role here was done, anyway.

“Which spell do we use?” Taeko asked as she carefully took Zoya’s hand in her own.

“How about the one that doesn’t risk harming Hisakawa?” Zoya suggested. Taeko responded with an embarrassed laugh and an “Oh, right.”

“O Gods of Sun and Moon,” the girls began, not quite in-sync as they raised their unlinked hands to the demon, “remove from the Earth this unholy blight. Evil spirit, begone!”

In response to the spell, the talisman on the demon took on a silver glow. Golden tendrils spread out, licking up the demon like tongues of flame. Soon, all that was left was ash, carried away on the spring breeze. Seeing their success, Taeko let out a loud cheer and tried to start a convoluted handshake with Zoya, but settled for a simple high-five.

“My memory may be wrong, but that seemed a lot shorter than your other spell,” Kenji remarked as he dusted himself off.

“Killing a single demon is a lot simpler than purifying an entire area,” Zoya said with disinterest. She reined in her spiritual power, causing both her and Taeko to de-transform. “And we’re going to be late for class.”

Kenji and Taeko released a string of curses as they, too, took note of the time. Together, the three ran back to the main building, parting ways once inside. Zoya had never been late before, and paused just long enough to regain her composure. But that was all she regained; face flushed, hair wind-tossed, and breathing uneven, it was obvious that she had been running. She ignored the bewildered looks of her classmates as she took her seat with the final chime of the bell, wondering to herself just how long this charade could last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, so this is a week and two days late. Between school assignments and family visits I just didn't have the time to sit down and upload the darn thing. On the plus side, chapter 5 is almost done!
> 
> Oh, and I made a drawing of Celosia, so please check it out on my PillowFort here: https://www.pillowfort.social/posts/1111054


	4. Broken Shield

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeko has a run-in with some vultures.

“This is so boring,” Taeko complained, leaning out the window. The moonlit school grounds below her were quiet and still. “Why do we even have to do this? Even for demon slayers, we pretty much have super powers. Can’t we just transform and purify the area and be done with it?” 

“Because even if we have ‘super powers,’ we, or more specifically, you, lack training and experience. Super powers are useless if we can’t use them efficiently.” 

Beside her, Zoya stood ramrod straight, eyes sharp and on the alert. Taeko eyed the long steel sword she held at her side with envy. 

“Yeah, yeah, rub salt in the wound, why dontcha.” 

This was the third night she and Zoya had been on patrol at the school grounds, cleaning up any demons that might show up. They were not to receive their weapons until they had killed twenty demons, at least fifteen of which had to be dealt with without transforming. After three nights, they totaled seven untransformed kills. Taeko understood the importance of training; she hadn’t gotten good at martial arts over night, after all, but this all seemed excessive. Did the basics even really apply to them? 

Zoya was no fun, either. She had expected, given that they would be alone, that Zoya would be relaxed and fun like she was in the rose garden, but instead she had been cold and business-like almost the entire time. Especially tonight, when Kenji had joined them to act as a demon-radar and get some training himself. Taeko looked up towards the roof. She couldn’t see him from here, but she was pretty sure he was standing atop one of the dormer windows, on the alert for demonic energy. Unfortunately, his last alert text had been over an hour ago, and Taeko wondered if they would see any more action tonight. 

“How come you get a sword and I just have a pouch of talismans?” Taeko asked after a period of uncomfortable silence. It was intended as a complaint, but she was genuinely curious. 

“Have you ever used a real sword before?” 

“No.” 

“There’s your answer,” Zoya said. When Taeko kept staring, she added, “I was trained in a variety of weapons: talismans, sword, bow, spear, even a few throwing weapons like knives. I was never great with the spear, that was more my sister’s thing, but I thought since my sword skills were becoming rusty, I would use it for training.” 

Taeko hummed in interest, but Zoya stopped there. Annoyed, Taeko picked up her phone and sent a quick text to Kenji. 

_ Please tell me you feel something _

His response came a little too quickly for Taeko’s liking. 

_ Not a thing  _

_ 15 more min and I’m leaving _

_ Rude, _ Taeko thought as she shoved her phone in her pocket. Kenji could pretty much leave whenever he wanted, but she and Zoya were stuck here until midnight, Lizaveta’s orders. Still bored, she fished around in her bag, removing items until she had found her homework and a snack. She got comfortable against the wall and set to work. She might not like homework, but it was better than doing nothing. 

“Why do you have rubbing alcohol?” Zoya asked, staring at the former contents of Taeko’s bag. Taeko tensed, not quite jumping but clearly startled by the question. She smiled, but it was nervous, like a child who had not quite been caught with their hand in the cookie jar and thought they could talk their way out of trouble. 

“Is it so weird to carry around first-aid equipment?” Taeko asked. “Especially with our current line of work.” 

“And yet I don’t see any bandages.” 

“They’re still in my bag,” Taeko snapped, and Zoya took that as her cue to drop it. Taeko’s bag was obviously far from empty, so it could very well be true. She turned her attention back to the school grounds, trying to focus on sensing demonic energy. Earlier, if she really focused, she could just feel Hisakawa’s energy dimly flickering above them, and she tried to find it again, if only to pass the time. Now, though, she could not seem to focus enough, her mind constantly wandering to the oddity of the rubbing alcohol. She never would have questioned it further, had it not been for Taeko’s odd behavior and the fact that the bottle was really rather large to be carrying around in a school bag. 

Taeko’s phone buzzed, putting Zoya back on alert. Maybe they actually had something to do. 

“Ugh, Kenji says he’s leaving in a few,” Taeko said, scowling. Zoya bit back a sigh. So far, she had done a decent job of pretending not to be bored. She kept her eyes trained on the grounds outside. “I’m just going to go to the bathroom now, while he’s still around as back-up.” 

Zoya waved her off. Taeko’s footsteps disappeared around the corner, and Zoya finally let herself relax a degree. She decided to humor herself and her non-present mother by giving the hallway a good once-over. Moonlit tile that way, moonlit tile and student posters the other way. Her eyes swept over Taeko’s mess and Zoya decided it constituted a tripping hazard. She bent down and straightened things out, and it was only as she was checking her handiwork that she realized the rubbing alcohol had disappeared. 

* * *

Zoya pretended to watch the tennis match in front of her as she picked at her lunch. She missed the rose garden, but it was still being tended to by the gardeners and was off-limits to students until the culprits could be identified. She missed it dearly, particularly as it was an easy way for her to talk to Taeko, no strings attached. So, although Taeko was seated next to her on the bench, they barely exchanged a word. 

She hadn’t said anything when Taeko returned from the “bathroom” smelling of alcohol and cleaning chemicals, her hands blotchy with what Zoya presumed she had been cleaning. Now she wished she had, particularly as she noticed the whispers and pointed fingers that seemed to direct themselves at Taeko. 

“It’s rare for you to be found during the lunch hour, Lady Kisaka,” Miss Petrides observed as she gracefully joined them on the bench. Not that it was the third day of eating with the rest of the school, or anything. “And watching the Prince play tennis, no less.” 

Taeko choked a bit on her food at the insinuation. The newcomer looked at her quizzically, and not without a bit of judgement. Taeko waved her off as she gasped for air. 

“I’m sorry, Miss Petrides, was it? Are you implying that Lady Kisaka is perhaps infatuated with  _ Kenji?”  _ Taeko said, emphasizing Kenji’s name as though it were the most absurd idea in the world. And if you asked Zoya, it was. She had absolutely zero interest in dating the half-demon child of a former(?) Orochi Head. If you asked Lady Kisaka, on the other hand... 

“I believe I told you before that I was uninterested. I simply thought I would watch some sport while I eat today. That Hisakawa is playing is a coincidence.” 

“Yes, yes, deny it all you want. Anyway, Miss Takara, I never did properly introduce myself the other day. My name is Middy Petrides, I am a classmate of Lady Kisaka.” 

“A pleasure,” Taeko responded. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, and Zoya noticed a distinctly awkward atmosphere developing. Before it grew stifling, Taeko abruptly stood. “If you’ll excuse me, I see someone across the way I’d like to speak to. Good day.” 

Zoya watched as she walked to the other side of the courts, joining the boy she had often seen with Kenji. Shinya, she thought his name was. He seemed to catch her looking, and he gave her a suspicious, withering look. What was that about? 

“I have been meaning to speak to you about Miss Takara,” Miss Petrides began lowly. “I realize it is largely out of your hands, but Miss Takara’s reputation is... far from stellar. I worry about the kind of influence she might have on you, particularly after you were very nearly late to class the other day.” 

“This and that are completely unrelated,” Zoya assured her companion, voice tight. This was the second time her classmate had expressed disdain for her best friend, and it was getting on her nerves. “She is a fine apprentice, and that is what matters to my mother, and to me. I would appreciate it if you would not mention it again.” 

Miss Petrides gave her space after that, which turned out to be a mistake. Her lunch proceeded to be interrupted by no less than three love letters, an attempt at a verbal confession (Zoya refused to get up from the bench, and the boy was too shy to confess in public), and one rather boisterous marriage proposal from the daughter of one of her mother’s competitors. When the girl tried to get Zoya to change her mind with a business presentation, she found herself missing the rose garden more than ever. 

There was no sign of Taeko when she finally managed to finish her lunch. Making her way inside, she was stopped again by Miss Petrides, who looked rather stricken. 

“Lady Kisaka, about Miss Takara, I just heard...” she started, when Zoya cut her off with a harsh glare. 

“I thought I made myself clear earlier, Middy,” she said, dropping their usual formalities. 

“I know, I know, but this is really important! I overheard some girls from her class saying something about her desk. It sounded like they had maybe planned something, but it failed.” 

“What failed?” Zoya asked, pieces starting to click together in her mind. “What happened?” 

* * *

With nothing better to do, Taeko had been playing an interesting game of hide and seek with the vultures throughout lunch. Up the stairs, down the stairs, chat with the boys, outside, inside – she had gotten to know the grounds much more intimately thanks for her nightly patrols, and it was coming in handy. Really, she just wanted to be left in peace, but that was easier said than done when your two best friends are the most popular people in school. 

She needed to be more careful. It had not gone unnoticed that she, Kenji, and Zoya had all been nearly late to class on the same day. Initially, rumors spread that Prince Hisakawa and Lady Kisaka had snuck off somewhere ~alone~ (Taeko laughed out loud when Shinya told her; Zoya practically refused to speak to him, making Taeko their go-between), but then someone noticed that Taeko had been involved as well and so immediately the rumor shifted to focus on her “bad influence.” Stupid stuck-up rich people. 

“Well, look who it is. So how’d you do it, brat?” a haughty voice asked. Ah, shoot, she was supposed to be being careful and instead she zoned out and walked right into a group of people she was trying to avoid. “Exchange your desk with someone else’s?” 

“Maybe you wouldn’t know - you’ve never had to do anything for yourselves, after all - but there are plenty of ways to clean permanent ink,” Taeko said, keeping her voice level. Or trying to, at least. It was hard when she was being circled, her escape routes slowly dwindling to just the stairs on her left. 

“Oh yes, I suppose you’d know all about cleaning, little miss maid,” one of the other girls added. “I can’t believe Lady Kisaka took pity on a problem child like you. You aren’t even fit to scrub the ground she walks on.” 

“Leave Lady Kisaka out of this,” Taeko grit out, literally biting back the need to lash out. 

“Then stay away from her, you lowlife delinquent. Someone like you doesn’t deserve her generosity.” 

“And that goes for Prince Hisakawa, too.” 

Her fingernails dug into her palms, reminding her that punching the lights out of these spoiled brats was a bad idea. She was only supposed to punch demons, which these girls were not, no matter how much they may act like it. She tucked her head down and turned on her heel down the stairs. She made it a mere two steps before she felt a pair of hands on her back, pushing at full strength. She tried to regain her footing, but she was too far forward to get any weight back over her feet. The middle landing was rushing towards her, and as she clamped her eyes shut, she had the absurd vision of having to fight demons while in a neck brace. 

A shout of her name had her eyes flying open just in time to see Zoya round the corner and manage to catch her. They stumbled back a step or two, Taeko’s heart hammering in her chest as Zoya held her surprisingly close. 

“Are you okay?” Zoya asked, voice tender. Taeko managed a shaky “uh-huh” as she tried to re-orient herself. Falling sucked, she decided. Zoya’s grip relaxed as she whipped her head to glare up the stairs, and Taeko felt her heart clench for a completely different reason when she demanded, “Who did that!?” 

Zoya was met with silence from the gaggle of girls at the top of the stairs, all of them looking like deer in the headlights. To her surprise, Taeko was the one to break the silence, pushing away from her ever so slightly. 

“Zoya, it’s fine.” 

“It is not fine! Someone pushed you! You could have been seriously hurt!” 

“Zoya, just leave it alone,” Taeko said, pushing away more strongly now. Reluctantly, Zoya released her grip. “I can handle this myself, okay?” 

“No, you can’t! They pushed you, and you’re just going to let them get away with that! I can protect you, I’ll--” 

“I don’t need you to protect me!” Taeko said as she stepped away from Zoya. 

“Then why don’t you stand up for yourself!?” Zoya demanded. 

“Because I can’t go getting you in trouble, you idiot!” Taeko shouted, voice wet with angry tears. “Now leave me alone!” 

Zoya stood there dumbfounded as Taeko raced back up the stairs and down the hallway, past where Kenji had appeared to investigate the commotion. His glare froze the bullies in place as they looked between him and Zoya, their two idols now turned against them. 

“We didn’t... we didn’t do...” 

“Don’t try to lie, I heard the whole thing,” he said, and Zoya could hear the growl underneath the words. Not good. “Can’t say I understand how you thought you were going to get on my good side by pushing one of my best friends down the stairs, but whatever. You’re on my bad side now.” 

“All of you, scram before I personally end you and your families,” Zoya threatened. The girls wasted no time, scurrying back down the hall from whence they had come. She turned to Hisakawa, expression falling as she did so. He had started to shift, but she hoped it was slight enough that no one else noticed. “Did I... mess up?” 

“Badly,” he stated. He took a deep breath to calm down. “You should probably back off. Head back to class; I know where she probably went.” 

“Sorry, Hisakawa,” Zoya said as he turned away down the hall. 

“Save it for Taeko,” he called back to her. 

* * *

Taeko was curled up on one of the ventilation exhausts on the roof when the bell rang, not far from where Kenji had perched the night before. The spring breeze rustling her hair did nothing to help cool her head. It was far from the first time she had retreated up here in a bad mood, so she wasn’t too surprised when she heard the door to the roof click open. 

“How long has this been going on?” Kenji asked as he came up beside her. Taeko grunted. To her annoyance, he waited patiently for her response. At least if he pushed, she could push back. She hated the question all the same, because it made her realize that things had probably escalated a while ago and she just hadn’t noticed. After all, this wasn’t the first time she’d nearly fallen down the stairs. 

“I don’t need your help,” she said after a little while. Face still pressed into her knees, it came out muffled. “Yours or Zoya’s.” 

“Not like you to just sit back and take that kind of punishment.” 

“I’m not sitting back and taking it,” Taeko argued, but she didn’t elaborate. 

“You used to beat those kinds of jerks up. What changed?” 

“Do you know how strict Zoya’s mom is?” 

“She locked me in a shed behind a bunch of wards while I was unconscious.” Kenji paused. “Is it related?” 

“I actually met Zoya a little over a month ago,” Taeko confessed. “When I realized who she was, I decided to clean up my act so she wouldn’t get in trouble, ya know? I didn’t want my fighting to reflect badly on her. Or you.” After a minute, she added, “And I didn’t think she’d want to be friends with a delinquent, anyway.” 

“So you decided to just let yourself be bullied.” 

“Shut up.” 

“Taeko.” 

“I’m not some weak ingenue who needs protecting!” Taeko spat. “I’ve protected Shinya fine all these years and fielded those stupid vultures and now I can fight fricken’ demons! But everyone is always trying to ~protect me~ or whatever and it’s not fair! I know how to fight! You  _ know _ I know how to fight! But then whenever I actually  _ fight back _ it just gets me in more trouble than before and suddenly I’m bringing down my friends with me because ‘oh no, they’re hanging out with that delinquent, they must be just as bad’ and none of you  _ are _ so forgive me for looking out for your social lives by bearing the brunt of it myself!” 

Taeko didn’t realize she’d been shouting until she stopped to catch her breath. Kenji’s stunned expression was almost comical until it abruptly twisted in pain. One hand gripped at his skull, and his eyes flashed dangerously at her. Orochi sure had crummy timing. 

“Where?” Taeko asked, already moving towards the fire escape. 

“Woods, that way,” Kenji forced out, nodding his head to the west of campus. Taeko turned to leave, but Kenji stopped her, grabbing her wrist with a forceful “Wait.” She whirled on him, ready to strike and not hold back. It had not yet been a week since he almost killed her, the freshness of the memory making itself clear by the way Kenji immediately let go and held up his hands defensively. 

“I think... there’s more than one. You need to at least get Kisaka,” he said. 

“I’ll deal with them on my own,” Taeko said. “If you’re so worried get Zoya yourself.” 

“And just how am I supposed to...” Kenji’s voice trailed off behind her as she took off. Belatedly she realized that he couldn’t go back inside looking the way he did, and felt a little guilty for just abandoning him like that. Whatever, her frustration at the world had already burned through her guilt by the time her feet reached the ground. She could do this herself. 

She found the demons easily enough. Curiously, she never felt a breach, causing her to wonder if all of these demons had already been here. It was quite possible, given that they were all small fry. They reminded her of the oni she saw in storybooks – scrawny little grey things with clubs and big teeth. 

“You bozos looking for me?” she called as she approached. Taeko cracked her shoulder as she readied her fist. The demons rushed her in waves. They were like smaller versions of the punks that always thought Shinya was an easy target, the ones she had spent years wiping the floor with. Her glowing fists connected with one, then another and another. 

“Evil spirits, begone! Begone, begone, begone ya little shits!” 

The way her fists ripped through the demons was weird but gratifying. If only bullies went down this easily. She shook her head to try to rid herself of the thought. Head in the game. No getting distracted, she told herself. Getting distracted means ending up like that idiot who tripped over his friends’ dropped weapons. Mixing things up a bit, Taeko decided to punt him as hard as she could in his gross little stomach. 

It was as she was watching his body disintegrate in the air that she felt the breach. The rippling air in front of her began to reveal a single, large silhouette. She was starting to get the feeling that all of the demons within this initial invading force were “big guy” types. He did not wait to fully materialize before he swung his club at her. Taeko dodged out of the way only to run headlong into one of the cronies’ weapons, eliciting an “oof” from her as she was knocked back. 

Right. Multiple opponents. 

Maybe she was actually in over her head. 

Now that they had back-up, the smaller demons regained their confidence and swarmed her. For every hit she gave she had to dodge three more. Not to mention the big guy, and  _ shit _ was that his club in the corner of her eye? 

She was shoved out the way at the last second. She went tumbling in a mess of limbs and skirts as she heard the club smash into the ground behind her. 

“You can’t just run off by yourself like that!” Zoya scolded her, and for the second time that day Taeko found herself mere inches from Zoya, heart racing. “I’m really sorry if I’ve been overprotective. But that goes for you, too! You don’t have to handle everything by yourself. We’re supposed to be partners.” 

Taeko scrambled back to her feet, flustered, and offered Zoya a hand up. She was still a little breathless from the close call. 

“I’m sorry, and thanks. I guess I do need protecting sometimes. Partners?” 

Zoya took her hand. It was warm, their spiritual energy flowing freely. 

“Partners. Shall we?” 

“Solar...” 

“Lunar...” 

“Spiritual Power, Dress Up!” 

Any quip the girls might have been about to say was forgotten as a demon was already charging them, even before the light of their transformation had faded. Zoya panicked and kicked it in the face, killing it instantly. More demons quickly followed as the biggest one unleashed a battle cry. 

“Taeko, you’re buying me lunch for a week!” Hisakawa shouted from where he, too, was being swarmed. “You’re so damn lucky I have good aim and knew which window was Kisaka’s classroom!” 

“I’m sorry, okay?!” 

“Hey, I think that’s eighteen,” Zoya interrupted, watching as the three demons she had slapped talismans on burned to ash. She was just about to nab the one rushing her from the left, but Taeko beat her to it. “The big one’ll make twenty. Taeko?” 

“With pleasure!” 

“O Gods of Sun and Moon, remove from the Earth this unholy blight. Evil spirit, begone!” 

Without a talisman to focus the spell, it blasted forward from the Priestesses like a laser beam, ripping through their target and catching a few other demons who had been too close. The remaining demons scattered, losing their nerve now that their leader had been defeated. Zoya released her partner’s hand and motioned for Hisakawa to back up. 

“O Gods of Sun and Moon, hear this, your servant’s prayer: Cleanse the ground upon which we stand and Return the darkness from whence it came.” Zoya did not need to complete the spell, as the ground lit up with just enough holy energy to destroy the last few stragglers. “Oh, that was easy.” 

“Glad you thought so,” Hisakawa groaned, rubbing his arm where a demon bit him in desperation. It left a few good holes in his uniform. “I don’t know about you two, but I’m going home. Too many close calls at school for one day. Later!” 

“I guess at least he’s choosing the delinquent life himself,” Taeko said as she watched him go. It caught Zoya off-guard, and she looked at her friend quizzically. Taeko looked uncomfortable under her gaze. “When I said I didn’t have the best reputation, I kinda used to... fight a lot. People called me a delinquent, and I didn’t want any of you to get caught up in it.” 

“I don’t care what other people think you are, and at this point my mother can deal with it. It’s not like she can just find a replacement Priestess. But at least let me know when people are bothering you, okay? You shouldn’t have to deal with that on your own.” 

“Are you sure? People are going to start saying some nasty things. Actually, they already are,” Taeko said, remembering the rumor of her “bad influence.” Not to mention the fact that she had no desire for Zoya or Kenji to find out that they were the biggest reason she was bullied – although she was sure they must have some idea after their earlier altercation. Given how overprotective they already were, she worried they would start distancing themselves in a misguided attempt to help. 

“I’m fully aware,” Zoya said, for once grateful that Middy kept her appraised of these things, “and screw them. You’re my best friend and their stupid rumors aren’t going to change that.” 

“Thanks, I’ll try to remember that. I’m sorry for yelling at you and getting defensive earlier. I didn’t want you thinking I was weak.” 

“Taeko, you might be inexperienced and reckless, but heavens, you are not  _ weak _ .” Zoya laughed at the thought. Taeko was far stronger than her, she just didn’t know it yet. “Buuuut if those ‘vultures’ as you called them are too cowardly to do anything if Hisakawa and I are around, then perhaps I’ll just have to stick to you like glue. Use my Kisaka social status for good for once.” As an afterthought, she added, “I bet I can even use it to talk us out of any trouble for skipping class.” 

“I don’t need bodyguards,” Taeko complained, but she was smiling, fighting back laughter. “But if it means spending more time with my best friends, I guess I can’t really complain.” 

Something seemed to occur to her, then, and her eyes lit up with pure excitement. Zoya thought she might go blind from how bright the sparkles in her eyes shone. 

“But speaking of inexperienced, you said that was twenty, right? That means we can finally get our weapons!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do appreciate feedback and kudos. Also, continual thanks to my beta for improving my writing :)


	5. Tangled Webs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoya makes an effort to get along with Taeko's friends.

It did not mean that they could get their weapons.

Lizaveta apologized, somewhat insincerely, for moving the goalposts on them, but after hearing their report of the incident she decided that the individual demons were just a little bit too weak to fully count. Thus, even though their total demon-kill-count should have just exceeded thirty (honestly, Taeko had been too angry at the time to properly keep count), they had to finish out the week’s nightly patrols before they would receive their weapons.

“Look on the bright side, at least the actual count doesn’t matter anymore,” Kenji said once Taeko paused her complaining. The three of them were gathered on the school roof, having dispatched a gargoyle-like demon up there earlier that night. “Which is good, because things have been extra slow tonight.”

“The ones that swarmed us probably made up the majority of the demons still hanging around this area. They were just too weak or scared to face us by themselves,” Zoya mused. “I’ll bet you anything my mother starts sending us on patrols to other parts of the city next week.”

“Why have the worst attacks happened in broad daylight, anyway?” Taeko asked. “So far when we’ve had to transform it’s almost always been while school is still in session.”

“Because it’s a large concentration of humans and the Priestesses are there. Two birds, one stone,” Kenji said dryly. The girls looked at him, Taeko with concern and Zoya with apprehension. He looked back and scowled. “What? Orochi gets louder the more humans I’m around. It’s not hard to figure out.”

“I forget that he’s just kind of always going, huh?” Taeko said. She felt guilty for making him angry. “I don’t know how you deal.”

“You know how if an annoying beeping goes on long enough, you kind of start tuning it out? It’s kind of like that. Does mean I’ve got a killer headache pretty much all the time.” He looked away, and Taeko thought he looked a little embarrassed. “Being around you helps.”

Zoya’s stomach twisted a little when she noticed Kenji’s blush, and a little bit more when she noticed that Taeko was blushing a little bit herself. Zoya took a deep breath to settle her stomach.

“You never did give me that birthday match,” Taeko said, her voice even. “We aren’t doing anything else right now, and we don’t have to worry about anyone seeing if you shift.”

“Oh hey, yeah,” Kenji said, pushing off the railing he had been leaning on. He faced Taeko, dropping into a ready position. “Some friend I am, forgetting your birthday.”

“We were busy,” Taeko shrugged, getting ready herself. “Powers or no powers?”

“No powers,” Zoya interjected, “The roof has taken enough of a beating for one night, I think.”

“Good point,” Kenji said after glancing at the scorch marks on a section of roof tile. He returned his attention to Taeko. “But if I start to slip, feel free to counter that, okay?”

“Obviously. Now are we ready or what?”

Zoya hovered awkwardly as the two began their sparring match. On the one hand, she wanted to give them a wide berth and plenty of space to move around in, but on the other hand she wanted to stay close enough to intervene if something went wrong. She was still uncomfortable having Hisakawa around. His presence was a calculated risk, one that her no-nonsense mother approved of, she knew that, but no matter how hard she tried she could not shake the image of Hisakawa almost killing Taeko from her mind.

Not that the prior incident seemed to bother them as they sparred; in fact, they looked happy. This was maybe the happiest she had ever seen Taeko, and _definitely_ the happiest she had ever seen Hisakawa. Personally, she had never understood fighting to be something enjoyable. Sure, she desired to get stronger and to catch up to her sister, but it was never something fun. Even with Ethne, who did seem to enjoy fighting a bit, any slip-up or fault was immediately called out by her sister and harshly criticized. Yet here, watching Taeko and Kenji, she found herself wanting to join in.

Her stomach twisted a little bit again when she realized that at no point in their training did Taeko seem this happy. All through her crash course over the weekend Taeko had been stiff and serious, probably in response to Lizaveta’s business-like attitude. Come to think of it, she had no idea that Taeko liked to fight. Sure, it was obvious that Taeko knew how to fight, and was enthusiastic about fighting demons, but Zoya had just assumed that was all born out of a hero complex. She never would have expected to see her eagerly exchanging compliments with Kenji at the same time they exchanged blows.

Taeko eventually went down and stayed down, panting heavily.

“Aw man, I was so close!” she laughed, happily taking Kenji’s offered hand. “Wait, no fair! When did you start to shift?”

“I... don’t know, actually?” Kenji said, looking at his free hand quizzically. His nails had sharpened and his skin looked rough, but in the moonlight, he couldn’t tell if it was a different color. He poked at his face, for what good it did to help him see. “I didn’t even notice. I actually feel pretty normal.”

“Is your rosary intact?” Zoya asked. Hisakawa held it up, revealing it to still be in good shape. “Probably the adrenaline, then. The two of you were at it for almost fifteen minutes. Speaking of which, can I have a turn?”

“With what, your sword?” Kenji asked, eyeing her weapon warily.

“No, with martial arts, idiot. So, how about it, Hisakawa? I have yet to fight you myself.”

“Didn’t realize you knew how,” he admitted. He stretched for a minute, then prepared himself for her. “So long as you promise not to try to murder me, have at it!”

“That would be rather counter-productive.”

Zoya’s style was more kick-focused than Taeko’s, and it was clear that Hisakawa was unprepared for her. He figured out her pattern quickly, but he was unable to get in a good counter. It was how her family’s school worked – get in close, deliver a series of quick blows, and get out again before the opponent can do something nasty. The Kisakas trained enough regular exorcists that demonic corruption was always a concern. Sparring against Kenji, where none of that should matter, she still found that she did not quite understand the appeal of sparring. Not until she caught him smirk when he thought he had the upper hand, and she used it to land a solid hit on him, instead. It might not be fun, exactly, but it was definitely thrilling.

Their match ended in a draw, mostly because Taeko called it early when she noticed Kenji was getting exhausted. After all, they were supposed to be patrolling.

“I was just about to win, too,” Kenji whined.

“You were not,” Taeko said, punching him lightly in the arm. “I saved your pride and you know it.”

* * *

“I’ve been meaning to ask, how did you and Hisakawa meet?” Zoya asked that night in the bath. The girls had gotten in the habit of using the estate’s large communal bath each night after patrol so that they would not have to fight over the smaller washroom near their rooms. It also served as a good time to decompress.

Taeko had to tear her eyes away from staring at Zoya’s chest where a mark similar to her own dwelled. It vaguely resembled a crescent, she supposed. The powers that be still needed a new graphic designer.

“We met when we were little kids – we attended the same dojo. He was a year ahead, so he helped show me the ropes when the instructor was busy with the other kids. And then we were usually paired together for regular sparring because we had the most energy of any of the other students. I wonder if there was something to that...” Taeko trailed off, rubbing at the mark on her chest. She didn’t like to think that the only reason she was the only other student to be able to keep up with Kenji was because of her latent Priestess abilities. It felt like cheating. “The dojo closed but we kept practicing on our own. I caught up to him pretty fast after that, so he’s kind of simultaneously been my teacher and my rival.”

“So that was it,” Zoya said. “You have some luck, ending up friends with the two most popular people in school.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t know that Kenji was going to grow up into one of the hottest things on two legs. He was goofy as a kid, I swear.” She leaned back, sticking one foot up out of the water as she stretched her legs. “Any time I hear someone call him ‘Prince Hisakawa’ I don’t know whether to laugh or gag. Ain’t nothing princely about him besides his looks, and even then, he’s more beefy than elegant.”

“Given who his mother is, he might be considered something akin to a prince in the demon realm,” Zoya mused. “At least if you ignore Celosia’s banishment.”

“Hadn’t thought about it that way. Oh, but since you asked me something, I get to ask you something now,” Taeko said, a conspiratorial grin spreading on her face as she leaned over to Zoya. “What’s up with Petrides thinking you like him?”

Zoya’s face was overcome by a scarlet blush that had nothing to do with the hot bath. She stuttered and folded her arms, refusing to meet Taeko’s gaze.

“She’s caught me staring at him.”

“Oh ho?” Taeko said, leaning in closer, trying to get around to see Zoya’s face. “Could it be that the reason you practically refuse to speak to him is that you’re actually too shy?”

“Forgive me for keeping an eye on the half-demon attending our school!” Zoya all but shouted. Realizing that most of the servants were probably asleep, she lowered her voice. “I admit he’s attractive, but he is absolutely not my type!”

“And what is your type?” Taeko asked as she leaned back a bit.

“None of your business! And I can’t believe you’d suggest I like him, too! You know very well what’s going on!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, you’re just too funny to tease about that. Trust me, I know you don’t like him. Like, hardly at all.” Taeko backed off entirely then, going back to her spot in the tub. “So how come you don’t refute it more at school?”

“People will believe what they want to believe,” Zoya sighed. “And I cannot very well tell anyone the truth about my sudden interest in him. Honestly, the rumor is kind of convenient for us.”

“Eh, I guess that’s true. Whatever, more entertainment for me.”

* * *

Zoya followed Taeko by about six paces all the way from her classroom to the cafeteria. Taeko had told her that morning that she did, in fact, have to buy Kenji lunch for a week, and would therefore be eating with him for that time. Zoya was trying very, very hard to not police Taeko’s social life, and they did have appearances to maintain, so she accepted the situation without complaint. But that did not mean that anything was stopping her from just so happening to also be walking to the cafeteria, Taeko conveniently within her line of sight to discourage any vultures from making a move.

Taeko, for her part, was trying very hard to pretend that she was unaware that Zoya was following her. She thought it was honestly pretty funny, the supposedly high and mighty Lady Kisaka fretting over her like a mother hen. If she had known this would be the reaction, she would have told Zoya about the bullying the moment she was no longer worried about Lizaveta. To her mild disappointment, Zoya disappeared shortly after she met up with Kenji and Shinya, apparently content that she no longer needed an escort.

“I refuse to believe that you would be stupid enough to bet a week’s worth of lunches on a single sparring match,” Shinya said as the three made their way outside. The weather was clear and calm, and Kenji insisted on finding somewhere less crowded to eat. “What on earth were you two up to yesterday when you ditched?”

“We were mobbed by a gang from a rival school and Kenji saved my ass and requested a week of lunches as repayment,” Taeko said. Kenji nearly choked.

“Fine, don’t tell me,” Shinya muttered. “But still, you got Kenji so much, and the katsu meals aren’t cheap. I guess that weird apprenticeship of yours is paying well?”

“Ah, yeah, all expenses paid, plus a small paycheck. And it’s not weird.”

“It’s super weird!”

“Excuse me,” said an unexpected voice. A hush fell over the schoolyard as everyone in the immediate vicinity stopped to watch as Lady Kisaka approached the trio, lunch bag in hand. To anyone else, she might have looked calm and composed, but Taeko saw the way her eyes darted between the three of them, silently begging Taeko for help. There was just the barest hint of a blush on her cheeks. Cute didn’t even begin to cover it. “Do you mind if I join you for lunch?”

“Not at all!” Taeko happily answered, scooting a little closer to Kenji to make room for Zoya on her other side. Zoya hesitated for a moment before carefully settling herself on the bench. “Oh, right, guys, I know you know already, but this is Zoya Kisaka! Zo... Lady Kisaka,” Taeko said, catching herself as she remembered they had an audience, “You’ve met Kenji already, but the one on the end there is Shinya Takahashi. He and I were in the same class all through middle school.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Zoya said, smiling awkwardly at the boys.

“And to what do we owe this honor?” Shinya asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Taeko frowned at him, particularly as Zoya looked a little bit uncomfortable at the question.

“Well, Miss Takara does apprentice with my family. I thought, if you did not object, that I might spend some time with her outside of our professional relationship. Get to... know her better.”

“And just what is your ‘professional relationship’?” Shinya asked. “Taeko hasn’t actually said much about her new job.”

“Miss Takara primarily works under my mother, learning the ins and outs of the Kisaka Conglomerate,” Zoya supplied evenly. Taeko, for her part, looked at Zoya in a way that said “Is that what I do? I had no idea!”

“Funny, Taeko never seemed like the business type. I can’t imagine she’s any good at it.”

“Shinya,” Taeko said, tone warning. She wanted to be offended, but honestly, she knew he was right about her business skills. Unfortunately, Shinya kept going.

“And I suppose you’re planning on recruiting Kenji next? Since it seems like you’ve been watching him a lot lately.”

“Actually, it turns out our mothers are... former business partners, I guess? I just found out this last weekend.”

“Oh, is she back in town? I didn’t realize,” Shinya said, his attention now on Kenji, who nodded. Taeko felt Zoya tense up at the mention of Celosia, and she really, really hoped that they could navigate the rest of this conversation without saying anything too incriminating.

“Well, and I was curious about who Miss Takara spends her time with,” Zoya said, defensive in a way that seemed to shrink away from the group. Taeko watched her a little bit helplessly, unsure how to diffuse the situation. She had kind of hoped that Zoya would change the topic.

“Why, so you can check up on us and make sure she isn’t hanging out with riff-raff?”

“I assure you, that was not...” Zoya started, but was interrupted by Taeko jumping to her feet, leaving her lunch in Zoya’s lap.

“Shinya, a minute?” Taeko said, grabbing his arm and dragging him away. Once they were well out of earshot, she whirled on him. “What is your problem? Could you maybe not antagonize my boss’s daughter?”

“What is _my_ problem? What’s with you? You never cared about business or status or anything and suddenly you’re schmoozing with the richest girl in school?”

“This internship means a lot to me, okay? Please don’t mess it up for me,” Taeko pleaded with him. “I do want to get along with Zoya.”

“Oh, so now you’re suddenly on a first name basis?” Shinya accused. “She’s probably just lying to you to mock you or something, you know that, right?”

“We’ve been on a first name basis for over a month,” Taeko shot back. That shut Shinya up. “Since we met, actually. Why do you think I’ve been disappearing at lunch this whole time? And she’s not lying to me, she’s also a huge – no, never mind,” Taeko said, realizing she almost tripped up and spilled Zoya’s _other_ big secret. “But we’re actually friends, okay?”

“So, what, is this internship some sort of nepotism thing?” Shinya asked, still upset by the situation.

“Believe it or not, this and that are different things; Zoya was as surprised as I was. So please, _please_ chill out. I really don’t want to screw up my friendship with her.”

“Fine, but I don’t trust her. And this better not add to the rumor mill.”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure the rumor mill is going to get worse either way,” Taeko sighed as she turned to head back. She was uncomfortable leaving Kenji and Zoya alone together, but figured that neither of them were stupid to start something in the middle of school. Sure enough, the two were sitting in awkward silence and looked relieved when Taeko and Shinya retook their seats.

“Everything okay?” Kenji asked, looking between his two best friends.

“Fine,” Shinya muttered.

“I can leave if there’s a problem,” Zoya said as she moved to get up. Taeko stopped her with a small tug.

“You’re fine, no problems here,” she said with a sidelong glance at Shinya. He avoided looking at her, and the awkward silence returned.

“How are everyone’s lunches?” Zoya asked, fishing for a conversation topic.

“Well mine is the same as yours, Lady Kisaka, which means that it’s delicious. Your cooks are amazing.”

“You can just call…”

“Taeko got me the extra-large katsu set!” Kenji interrupted, waving his now-empty lunch box in the air. “Still hungry somehow, though.”

“You’re a bottomless pit,” Shinya told him in mild disgust. “My lunch is good, for the record. Thanks for asking.”

Zoya thought he looked like he wanted to say something else, especially with the wistful look he gave his lunchbox. It was a weird look to give one’s lunch, frankly, but Zoya kept her mouth shut. She wasn’t sure what had happened with Taeko and Takahashi earlier, but she was now very worried about stepping on his toes. Taeko and Hisakawa started arguing over whether or not their deal included extra lunches or whether it was one lunch a day, so Zoya turned her attention elsewhere. She ate her lunch absently, watching the students who watched them. Her eye was caught by a girl hiding behind a nearby tree, fidgeting with something in her hands. She kept stealing glances her way, her foot twitching as though unable to advance.

“If you all will excuse me a moment,” Zoya said, getting up. She made a point of leaving her lunchbox behind to make it clear that she intended to return. The others watched her curiously as she approached the girl. As she thought, the girl had a love letter in her hands and a deep blush on her face. She let the girl stammer out something akin to a confession as she thrust the letter into Zoya’s hands. Gingerly, she opened the letter, noting the way the neat, formal handwriting occasionally gave way to something cuter. This girl had tried hard. With a sympathetic smile, Zoya let the girl down gently. To her credit, the girl managed to hold back her tears long enough to thank her and run away.

Zoya returned to her seat with a sigh.

“I’m sorry about the interruption.”

“How on earth do you do that so well?” Kenji asked her in awe. “I still haven’t figured out a good way to deal with the constant confessions.”

“Oh, I barely humor the majority of them,” Zoya admitted. “Especially the obvious ploys to get at my money. Someone gave me a full business presentation yesterday. It was positively awful.” Shinya gagged at the comment, apparently trying to hold back laughter. “I try to be as nice as I can with confessions like that girl’s just now, however. Her feelings were really behind it, so the least I can do is hear her out. Luckily for my schedule, confessions like hers are in the minority.”

“Oh yeah, you have guys and girls both confessing. Only girls seem to be interested in me.”

Taeko was suddenly very interested in her lunch and very much not looking at anyone else. She didn’t think she’d be able to keep a straight face. Her friends were all idiots and while normally it was amusing other times it was downright painful.

“Do you want boys to be interested in you?” Zoya asked. Now _that_ was a question she had never thought to ask, and Taeko was very interested to hear the answer.

“I don’t know?” Kenji answered, unsure of himself. He frowned. “I mean it’s not like I want more people I barely know trying to ask me out. Especially not if they’re just going to harass my friends.”

Well, that was not a “no,” but did Kenji really have to bring that last bit up? Taeko fought down the cringe and focused on strengthening her aura. Everyone was watching them. She couldn’t allow even the slightest slip-up after yesterday.

“Wait, something happened yesterday, didn’t it?” Shinya said, narrowing his eyes at them.

“We took care of it, so don’t worry about it,” Taeko quickly said, hoping to get away from this topic as fast as possible. Normal lunch, normal drama-free lunch, they had an audience, keep it cool. “And it wasn’t a big deal any- ow! Lady Kisaka, what was that for?”

Zoya calmly re-crossed her legs after stomping on Taeko’s foot.

“Please do not try to downplay yesterday’s events, Taeko. And there’s no need to keep being so formal. You can just call me Zoya.”

For a moment, the only sound was the rustling of leaves, before excited murmuring burst out around them. They were too quiet to make out anything distinct, but it was clear that everyone nearby had heard Zoya’s request. Taeko looked around nervously, not sure how this new development might change things, while Zoya looked at her, strangely innocent. The only people who seemed unaffected by this were Kenji and Shinya. Kenji leaned over and whispered to Shinya.

“So, when’d you find out? Just now when Taeko got mad at you?”

“Yes; she wasn’t exactly ‘mad,’ and what about you?” Shinya answered, nonchalant.

“Yesterday-ish,” Kenji answered. “But Taeko’d slipped up a few times before that.”

“If… If you’re sure, Zoya,” Taeko mumbled.

* * *

The end of the day could not come fast enough. Taeko just wanted to be done and away from all of these people suddenly bombarding her with questions as though they hadn’t been bullying her just the day before. Normally she avoided listening to the rumor mill, but now that it came directly to her she had little choice but to take notice. Zoya had said that people will believe what they want to believe, and Taeko was quickly discovering that its corollary – that people would not believe what they do not want to believe – was alive and well.

No one would believe that she and Zoya were friends, or even friendly. Even when Taeko pointed out that they shared a bathroom and the majority of their meals, they still just said “Isn’t Lady Kisaka just a saint!” Which Taeko found amusing because they were very nearly correct, just not for the reasons they thought. What she found amusing but weird was the general consensus that Zoya was using her as an excuse to cover up a relationship with Kenji and that the reason they barely exchanged a word when left alone was because otherwise they would have been throwing themselves at each other. The lengths teenagers would go to in order to preserve the images of their idols.

No wonder it had been so easy to dissuade them of the existence of demons.

“Yo, Taeko, I need your help with something,” Kenji said, leaning on the door to her classroom a few minutes after class was over. More whispering, but no one had the guts to actually approach either of them. Cowards. Or maybe there was just a base human instinct to avoid demons, Taeko thought, noticing how tight his shoulders were.

“What’s up?” Taeko asked as she followed him down the hall. She noticed they were headed outside. “Shouldn’t we get Zoya?”

“Already tried,” Kenji snorted. “Kisaka was getting mobbed by suitors or something. She waved me off. Sides, you should be more than enough to deal with this.”

“I didn’t feel a breach,” Taeko said as she looked around the school grounds. They were out back, away from where most of the students were either leaving or headed to clubs. “And you’re doing better than normal.”

“Yeah, you’ll see when we get there…” Kenji trailed off, leading her into one of the groves. She was getting kind of nervous, walking into a secluded area alone with him like this. Kenji she could punch if he tried something, but she did not think any of her classmates were capable of the mental gymnastics necessary to come to a non-gossipy conclusion about their activities. “It should be right around… Ah ha.”

He didn’t sound triumphant, and when Taeko saw what he found, she understood why. There, letting out murderous, strangled cries, was a nasty little face sticking out of one of the trees. It had dinky little arms which it alternated between using to claw at the tree and try to reach for her.

“What the hell is it?” Taeko asked as it continued to screech at her.

“It is literally a demon stuck in a tree,” Kenji said.

“And how’d that happen?”

“Mom said that sometimes demons that can’t physically manifest in the human realm will make deals with humans and other living beings in order to steal their bodies.” Taeko scrunched up her nose at that. “She didn’t go into detail, but I guess this guy messed up and possessed a tree.”

“And you need my help why? Is it even a threat?”

“Well no, it can’t move,” Kenji said. “But it needs to be put out of its misery, and I can’t actually do that without destroying the tree.”

“So, what, I need to purify it?”

“I think? Just give it a good punch, see what happens.”

Taeko did just that, hand aglow with holy energy, and even without an incantation, the demon dissipated. The tree returned to normal, save for a slight indent where the demon once was. Taeko shook her hand off, rubbing at it to remove any splinters.

“That was easy,” Taeko said. She noticed Kenji staring at her, his expression sort of distant but his eyes very much focused on her. “What, is there something on my face?”

“Wha…? No, I was just thinking the same thing,” he said hastily.

“Well then, if we’re done, we better head back before Zoya starts panicking and the whole school thinks we’ve been in here making out.”

Taeko didn’t stick around to see Kenji blush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As Taeko noted, these kids are all idiots. I love them anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, this story is loosely inspired by the anime Kannazuki no Miko, which I frankly did not like. So while this story borrows certain elements (mainly reincarnated priestesses and Orochi) the overall plot and characters are, I hope, quite different. Different enough for this to no longer be considered fanfiction, at the very least.
> 
> Thank you to my beta, who encouraged me to put this story to paper! You're the best :)


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